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    STUMP VISION                                                       FEBRUARY 13, 2026       |  The Indian Eye 42

             A fearless chase and a captain’s knock

              seal another unforgettable WPL crown

                Smriti Mandhana’s blazing 87 powers Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a record-breaking chase
                                                    as the franchise completes a golden treble

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            stunning 165-run partnership for the
                                                                                                                  second  wicket,  the  cornerstone  of
            Vadodara (Gujarat)
                                                                                                                  RCB’s  historic  pursuit.  Voll  played
                 mriti  Mandhana  delivered  a                                                                    the  perfect  foil,  compiling  a  com-
                 season-defining   performance                                                                    posed 79 off 54 balls, laced with 14
            Sunder  the  brightest  lights,                                                                       fours, while Mandhana surged ahead,
            leading  Royal  Challengers  Bengalu-                                                                 punishing anything short or wide and
            ru  (RCB)  to  their  second  Women’s                                                                 lofting  confidently  over  the  infield.
            Premier  League  (WPL)  title  with  a                                                                    Mandhana’s 87 was not just de-
            six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in                                                                 cisive; it was historic, becoming the
            a pulsating final at the BCA Stadium                                                                  highest individual score in a WPL fi-
            on Thursday. In a night that rewrote                                                                  nal. It also capped a season in which
            WPL  history,  RCB  chased  down  a                                                                   her highest score, a 96 against Del-
            daunting  204,  the  highest  successful                                                              hi Capitals in the league stage, had
            chase  ever  in  a  women’s  T20  final,                                                              already hinted at what was to come.
            sealing  their  place  as  the  dominant                                                              Even  when  DC  clawed  back  briefly
            force of the league’s young history.                                                                  with three quick wickets in the clos-
                Mandhana,  already  the  heart-                                                                   ing overs, the calm heads of Radha
            beat of RCB’s rise, was at her fluent,                                                                Yadav  (12  not  out)  and  Nadine  de
            fearless  best,  scoring  a  match-win-                                                               Klerk (7 not out) guided RCB home
            ning 87 off just 41 balls. Her innings                                                                with two balls to spare.
            not only anchored the record chase                                                                        While  the  spotlight  belonged
            but also crowned a magnificent tour-                                                                  to  Mandhana,  the  tournament  also
            nament for the 29-year-old, who fin-                                                                  unearthed new stars. Delhi Capitals’
            ished as the leading run-scorer with                                                                  uncapped  seamer  Nandani  Sharma
            377 runs in nine innings to claim her                                                                 finished  as  the  joint  leading  wick-
            first Orange Cap.                                                                                     et-taker with 17 scalps and was de-
                                                                                                                  servedly named Emerging Player of
            With an average of 53.86 and a                                                                        the Season. The Purple Cap, howev-
                                                                                                                  er,  went  to  Gujarat  Giants’  Sophie
            strike rate north of 150, Mand-                                                                       Devine, who edged ahead on econo-
            hana’s 2026 campaign now                                                                              my rate, underlining the fine margins
                                                                                                                  that defined the season.
            stands as the second-best in-                                                                             RCB’s  triumph  sparked  cele-

            dividual season in WPL history,                                                                       brations across the cricketing world,
                                                                                                                  with  franchise  legends  Virat  Kohli
            behind only Nat Sciver-Brunt’s                                                                        and AB de Villiers leading the trib-
            523-run effort in 2025.            Mandhana’s 87 was not just decisive; it was historic, becoming the highest individual score in   utes.  Kohli,  whose  long  wait  for  an
                                                                     a WPL final (ANI file photo)                 IPL title ended last year, took to Ins-
                                                                                                                  tagram to hail the women’s team and
                The  title  made  Mandhana  only   Delhi  Capitals,  seeking  their   Just  when  RCB  threatened  to   their captain, writing that the players
            the  second  captain  to  lift  the  WPL   first WPL crown, set the final up for   rein  things  in,  Chinelle  Henry  pro-  should “enjoy the moment and em-
            trophy twice, after Mumbai Indians’   a classic with a commanding batting   duced a brutal late assault. Her un-  brace the love of our amazing fans.”
            Harmanpreet  Kaur,  and  confirmed   display. After RCB won the toss and   beaten 35 off 15 balls, featuring four   De Villiers, too, shared his joy, cel-
            RCB’s second championship follow-  elected to bowl, Lizelle Lee (37 off   boundaries and two sixes, propelled   ebrating  a  franchise  that  has  finally
            ing  their  maiden  triumph  in  2024.   30)  and  Shafali  Verma  (20  off  13)   Delhi Capitals to 203 for 4 in 20 overs   shed its “trophyless” tag.
            More  significantly,  it  underscored   gave DC early momentum. A 76-run   — the highest total ever posted in a   For  Mandhana  and  RCB,  this
            a  remarkable  transformation  for  a   stand  for  the  third  wicket  between   WPL final and a score that seemed,   victory  was  about  more  than  silver-
            franchise once mocked for its empty   Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wol-  at the interval, just beyond reach.  ware.  It  was  a  statement  of  intent,
            cabinet. In the space of three years,   vaardt  steadied  the  innings  after  a   What  followed  was  a  chase  for   a  demonstration  of  fearless  cricket,
            RCB have won the WPL twice and    brief wobble.                     the  ages.  RCB  lost  Grace  Harris   and a reminder of how quickly for-
            ended their long wait for an IPL ti-  Rodrigues,  leading  from  the   early, but Mandhana seized control   tunes can change when belief meets
            tle in the men’s game, achieving the   front, struck a classy 57 off 37 balls,   immediately,  combining  elegance   brilliance.  On  a  warm  Vadodara
            rare distinction of holding both titles   peppered  with  eight  fours,  while   with intent. Alongside Georgia Voll,   night, RCB didn’t just win a final —
            simultaneously.                   Wolvaardt added a composed 44.    she dismantled the DC attack with a   they carved out a legacy.

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